Pin and socket connection



June zs, 1943.

PIN AND SOCKET CONNECTION Filed May 7, 1942 I [III/I174 711111111111,

III/[Ill WWII; w w hl IIIiII/lI/llIl/I/J/l INVENTOR-s BY MM 7 M. LlTWlN ETAL 2,322,947

Patented June 29, 1943 UNITED "STATES OFFICE Pr AND SOCKET CONNECTION" Max Litwin and Bertram Masts; Cincinna i; a d 7 Joseph Ellert, St. Bernard; Ohio, assignors to,

Litwin-& Sons, Cincinnati, Ohio, alfpartnei'ship composed of'Akini LitwinpJacohLit'wifn; Boris Litwin, and Max Litwin Application May 7, isizfserial Isa 442,06!

2 Claims. (Cl. "2 87 126) This invention relates to a pin and socket connection as part of aplug assembly in an electrical wiring system and more particularly to the socket utilized in such a connection. The invention is particularly concerned with a socket in which a pin may be quickly and easily inserted but when positionedin the socketwill be securely held: so; positioned and will at the same time provide a maximum of contact area for the transmissionof electrical currento In the past it has been usual to providea socket which is slightly more oversized with respect to the pin than is absolutely necessary. The advantage of this is to permit the insertion of the pin into the socket quickly with the exercise of a minimum amount of care. In such an oversized socket one or more contact points have usually been provided at or near the neck or open end of the socket so that the contact will be established and the circuit completed a soon o as the pin is inserted into the socket to any appreciable distance.

In this type of construction when the pin has been fully inserted in the socket it is usually in continuous contact at only one point or area, that is, immediately adjacent to the neck of the socket. This tends to provide a more or less loose point connection and one in which the circult is apt to be broken should anything unusual develop to affect the limited contact area provided. In this arrangement the contact depends essentially upon the canting of the pin in the socket.

With the correction of this general problem in mind, one of the objects of the present inven tion has been to provide a socket in which the pin is securely positioned at all times against an entire inner side surface of the socket whereby a large and continuous contact area is provided.

Another object of the invention has been to provide a socket of the type described in which a plurality of resilient tangs is struck from the qouter surface of the socket and bent inwardly with their free ends at all times engaging the outer surface of the pin to urge it and maintain it in contact engagement with the socket proper a well as with extended projections thereon.

Another object has been the provision of a socket in which at least two inwardly directed contact points are spaced a substantial distance from one another and adapted to hold the pin.

against an opposed inner side surface of the socket in such a way that it will not cant or wobble.

Another object has been the provision of a conjunction with the drawing in which:

. Figure 1 is-a-perspectiye view of a pin and socket connection-of the type of the invention with the pin fully positioned in the socket.

Figure: 2 is a side elevation of the respective eleme ts d sen a d mm 1 et andyith he see stehqwe Re e ti n o illustrate e eas men t her Figure 3 is a similar view showin the pin partially inserted into the socketbut engaged by one contact point only. The socket illustrated in this figure is of slightly different interior construction from the one illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the pin almost fully inserted and being securely held against the inner surface of the socket by the tangs.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 55, Figure 4.

Considering now a further and more particular description of the invention the various p s and elements are best illustrated in Figure 2. In this figure the pin is indicated at I and the lead Wire to which it is connected is indicated generally at 2. The socket is indicated generally at 3 and its correspondinglead wire at 4.

Resilient tangs 5-5 struck from the outer casing of the socket are bent inwardly to form contact points 66 which are adapted to engage the surface of the pin l and force it downwardly against the opposed inner surface I of the socket 3 as best illustrated in Figure 4. When the pin has been inserted to the depth indicated in this figure, it is apparent that it will be very securely positioned and that the contact will be over what is comparatively a very large area, that is, along a line extending the entire length of the pin as well as at the tangs on the other side of the socket.

As illustrated in the preferred example described, the mouth 8 of the socket may be very decidedly oversized with respect to the pin without affecting particularly the tightness of the fit or the amount of contact area maintained.

It is preferable that the contact points 6-6 be spaced apart a substantial distance lineally and some distance laterally as in this way there is no tendency of the pin to rock in the case and the large contact area is thereby maintained.

In applicants preferred structure, as illustrated, the contact point 6 on the foremost tang 5 holds the pin I against the inner surface of the front part of the socket while the contact point on the rear tang holds the pin against the inner rear surface of the socket. In this way the pin is maintained in substantially parallel relationship to the inner surface of the receptacle along the entire length of the pin and the canting or rocking characteristic of sockets having but'a single contact point is completely avoided.

A particular advantage of the invention is that as illustrated in the preferred form the tangs may be formed from the outer surface of the casing of the receptacle. This obviates the necessity for providing a contact 'point or points as separate elements in the interior of the socket and greatly simplifies and cheapens the mass production of the structure. Likewise there are advantages in striking the tangs from the surface of the socket directly adjacent one another but with the inwardly extended contact points oppositely disposed. Providing the tangs ad- J'acent one another avoids weakening of the surface of the socket at more than one point while disposing the inwardly extended contact points "a substantial distance apart provides a fork which holds the pin very tightly against the inner surface of the socket opposite to the one from which the tangs are struck.

A consideration of Figures 3 and 4 indicates clearly how in the preferred embodiment of our invention the pin first encounters one contact point and is then guided into the interior of the socket by the tang which terminates in the secand point. This guiding action occurs smoothly and evenly and with no danger of arcing caused by the canting of the pin in the socket.

It will be apparent that in describing our in;

vention we have described only a preferred embodiment and that it may be possible to make changes in, additions to, or rearrangements of the parts without avoiding the substance of the invention as set out in the ensuing claims.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. In combination a pin and a socket, the socket including a pair of inwardly bent resilient tangs formed from the outer surface thereof; said tangs being adjacent one another on the surface of the socket but being bent inwardly at opposed ends whereby the inwardly extending points of the tangs will be spaced apart the length of the tangs; said inwardly extending points being substantially equidistant from the inner surface of the socket.

2. A socket for a pin comprising a tubular member having a plurality of inwardly bent resilient tangs formed from the wall thereof, the

said tangs being adjacent one another but being oppositely arranged whereby inwardly extending surfaces on adjacent tangs are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the length of the tangs, the said inwardly extending surfaces being substantially equidistant from the inner surface of the said tubular member.

MAX LITWIN.

BERTRAM MILNER. JOSEPH ELLERT. 

